Yo Miles! the Miles Davis tribute group led by guitarist Henry Kaiser and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith has released a new Single Inventory Hybrid Stereo Super Audio CD. The new release is a 2-SACD set entitled Upriver features the group performing 10 classic selections composed by Miles Davis as well as 2 new compositions in the same musical style.
The 2-SACD set features a SACD Stereo and CD Stereo version of the music on the album on each disc. And the amount of music on each SACD is quite generous with Disc 1 clocking in at 77 minutes and 12 seconds and Disc 2 beating that at 79 minutes and 47 seconds. As a Single Inventory release, the SACD set serves as both the SACD and CD release of Upriver.
Follow Up to Last Year’s Sky Garden SACD
High Fidelity Review readers will recall that Yo Miles’ debut album entitled Sky Garden (Cuneiform RUNE 191/192) was released on the Cuneiform Records label last May. The Sky Garden Super Audio CD won wide recognition for its performances as well as the 2004 Surround Music Award for the Best High Resolution Stereo Program of the Year.
Direct to 2 Channel DSD Recording From The Same Sessions
According to Cuneiform Records, the 12 tracks on Upriver were recorded live, direct to 2 Channel Direct Stream Digital (DSD). The recording was done at the same sessions at The Site in Marin County, CA that produced the award winning Sky Garden Super Audio CD. The SACD notes that Upriver was produced by Henry Kaiser, recorded by John Cutler and Kevin Scott.
SACD Engineering on the album was handled by Gus Skinas from the Super Audio Center in Boulder, Colorado and Mastering was done by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, also in Boulder, Colorado. The SACD discs were made by Sony DADC on one of their Hybrid SACD replication lines in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Album Tracks
Disc 1
1. Go Ahead John
2. On The Corner Jam
3. What I Say
4. Bitches Brew
Disc 2
1. Tatu/Agharta Funk
2. Tune In 5/One Phone Call
3. Corrado
4. Macero
5. Yesterfunk
6. Thunder & Lightning
7. Jabali (Part III)
8. Black Satin (Slight Return)
Added Sonic Dimension
The slip cover on Upriver says that “This release, when played in a SACD player, will reveal the added sonic dimension that SACDs are known for.” That’s putting it mildly.
Listening to the Stereo SACD tracks of Upriver, it’s pretty clear why the earlier SACD from these sessions won an award for high resolution stereo playback. The Upriver SACD tracks deliver sound that brings the Yo Miles! band right into your music room. Instruments are clearly and crisply defined with excellent stereo separation and a wonderful sound field, full of definition. The folks behind this series of recordings clearly know what the DSD and SACD systems are capable of – and they deliver it. Miles Davis fans will definitely want to give this one a listen.
Availability
Upriver by Yo Miles! is now available in music stores that carry jazz CDs including Tower Records. Since this is a Single Inventory SACD release, you will find it filed in the regular Jazz CD section at Tower Records, rather than in the Audiophile and SACD section of their stores. The Upriver 2-Disc SACD set is also available from several web stores including Amazon.Com, CD Universe, Wayside Music and several web stores in Europe.